Josh Heupel explains bizarre sequence at the end of Tennessee's loss to Florida
Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Vols competed until the final whistle on Saturday night in UT's 29-16 loss to the Florida Gators. As Florida attempted to run the clock out to secure their tenth straight win over Tennessee in Gainesville, Vols defensive lineman Omari Thomas hit Gators quarterback Graham Mertz. Thomas was flagged for targeting […]
Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Vols competed until the final whistle on Saturday night in UT's 29-16 loss to the Florida Gators.
As Florida attempted to run the clock out to secure their tenth straight win over Tennessee in Gainesville, Vols defensive lineman Omari Thomas hit Gators quarterback Graham Mertz.
Thomas was flagged for targeting for the hit (which means he'll have to sit out the first half of Tennessee's game against UTSA).
Heupel called a timeout in an effort to get the ball back while Florida's bench cleared as the Gators took offense to the hit on Mertz.
Here's the sequence.
At one point, Vols cornerback Kamal Hadden squared up to take on a Florida player.
Hadden posted a message on Instagram after the game saying that he wasn't trying to fight anyone.
After the game, Heupel was asked about the final sequence. And while Heupel wasn't happy that one of his players made the targeting mistake, he made it clear that his team was going to compete until the very end.
“That sequence right there, we’re trying to get the ball back," said Heupel. "Trying to get a shot in the end zone. I don’t know if you’re gonna have enough time for an onside and maybe get it and get a shot. But you’re trying to finish and compete the right way. He’s dancing around. Do you want the targeting? Obviously not. But the guy’s dancing around, you gotta go tackle the guy. So do we want to be composed in that situation, in all situations? Absolutely.”
It was an unfortunate ending to a game that was a struggle all night long for Tennessee. But fans certainly have to respect that Heupel didn't wave the white flag at any point during the game. Even when all hope was lost, Heupel still wanted to find a way to win the game. Heupel's competitiveness didn't lead to a win on Saturday night in the Swamp, but it's why Tennessee fans should feel confident that he'll get things fixed on Rocky Top after a slow start to the season.
Story from former Heisman winner shows Josh Heupel is no pushover despite being labeled as a ‘players’ coach’
Story from a former Heisman winner shows that Tennessee Vols HC Josh Heupel is no pushover despite being labeled as a ‘players’ coach’
